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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. F. H. GRONWALD.

REFRIGERATOR.

No. 552,526. Patented Jan. 7, 1896.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

J. F. H GRONWALD.

REFRIGERATOR. V

V Patented Jan. 7, 1896. i' y-i H ,4

a Sheets$heet 3..

(No Model.)

J. P. H. GRONWALD.

REFRIGERATOR.

Patented Jan. 7, 1896.

ANDREW BJZRAHAM. PHOTO-UTMQWASH IN GTON, D C

lharTnn STATES PATENT @rrren.

.IOI'IANN FRANZ HUGO GRONIVALD, OF BERLIN, GERMANY.

REFRIGERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 552,526, dated January *7, 1896.

Application filed December 22,1894. serial No. 532,677. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHANN FRANZ IIUG-O GRONWALD, a subject of the King of Prussia, Emperor of Germany, residing at Berlin, German Empire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Refrigerating Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

In refrigerators known up to the present time the walls of the cooling-room itself are rigid, so that the space of air left between the cooling-surface and the substance to be cooled will be so great that the refrigerating mate rial will not work directly upon said substance, and thus a great deal of ice will have to be used, as the layer of air in the coolingroom works as an insulator. In order to obtain an energetic refrigeration while directly utilizing the refrigerating-surface I construct the cold-conveying walls of the refrigerator in such a manner that they vary according to the size of the objects to be cooled, so that the cooling substance can have a direct effect upon said objects by reducing the size of the refrigerating-room itself to about the size of the latter.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows my improved refrigerating device adapted to barrels, as an instance. Figs. 2 and 3 show the same device with a cooling-room of varying size used for preserving meat and smoked articles. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 show different views of modified form of chamber, and Figs. 7 to 9 show views of a second modification.

The new refrigerator consists of a casing A of wood or other nonconducting material closed below by a bag made of a flexible material and above by the cover I). By putting the refrigerator A over the barrel B the bag a surrounds the latter, while the lower edge of the casing A shuts the same off from the outside, the refrigerating-room E being thus formed. After the barrel has been covered in the described manner the refrigerating mass--for instance, ice-is placed upon the refrigerating-casing and the refrigerator D is closed by means of the lid 1). Melted water runs off along the walls of the refrigerating casing a and gathers in the lower part of the refrigerator D, from which it can be let out through a cock 0. The refrigeratingcasing a is in direct contact with the walls of the barrel l3, closely fitting around the walls, and

thus there will be a direct effect of the refrigerating substance 0 which will not be impaired by air-layers.

Ifthe new refrigerator is to be used for keeping fresh or smoked meat or other substances it will be well to put an upright with horizontal arms F in the refrigerating-room, as

It is obvious that the new refrigerator can be constructed of all shapes without chang ing the principle of the invention. Therefore, while in the described refrigerator with a capacity varying according to the size of the cooling-room the refrigerating material for instance, ice Ois put upon the refrigerating-casing a and a second casing of rigid material is used for surrounding the refrigerating-casing a, it will also be possible that the cooling material, together with the object to be cooled-for instance, akeg of beer be surrounded by the cooling-casing a, as shown in Fig. 4, while the latter in turn is surrounded by a second casing A, also made of flexible material; or, as in Figs. 5 and 6,

the refrigerating material can be placed upon the refrigerating-casing a and the melted water can penetrate the latter through openings arranged therein 5 or, as in Figs. 7 to 9, the refrigerating mass can be placed directly upon the article with a casing of flexible material surrounding the same, provision being made for the running oif of the water.

It will be observed that in Figs. 5 and 8 the flexible wall A is shown as down, it being capable of being lowered or raised, as it is provided with rings which encircle vertical uprights.

In the construction shown in Figs. 4 to 6 the refrigeratingcasing a is surrounded by a second casing A shut off from below, which, when used for kegs,is preferably made of some flexible material in order to make easy the placing of the barrels in the cooling-room E, formed either by drawing up the casing A or by placing the casing over the keg or other object.

The refrigerating-space D, formed by the casing A and the cover A between the wall A and the refrigerating-casing a, works as an insulator against the casing a, and being closed below prevents the circulation of air inside of it.

If the ice is put on as shown in Fig. 5, the casing a is perforated with openings oin order that the melted Water when running off gathers in the foot upon which the barrel is placed and contributes to the cooling off of the beer where it is tapped. When the recipient formed by the foot is filled with melted water the latter runs oif over the edge p into a groove (1, out of which it flows off through the gully formed by the part NV. An opening closed by a stopper 1, near the bottom of the base 19,

serves to let the melted'water run out of the vessel formed by the said foot or base.

The casing A can be made of rigid material wi'thout changing the characteristics of the present invention, which consists in reducing the refrigerating-room to about the size of the articles by the use of casings of flexible material for utilizing the refrigerating substance as much as possible. Finally, for obtaining an effect similar to that of Figs. 4 and 6, it will be possible to use only one casing A of flexible material shut off at its lower end at n with a cover A, which takes the place also of the walla. I use also in this case a recipient for the melted water formed by a foot or base upon which the article-for instance, a barrel-is placed in order to increase the cooling of the same at the place where it is tapped.

I clairn 1. A refrigerator comprising a flexible casing adapted to inclose the article to be cooled, said casing being adjustable to increase or diminish its internal capacity, and means for supporting and guiding the casing in its Vertical adjustment, substantially as described.

2. In combination, a support, a flexible casing, and an outer casing, the space within the flexible casing being arranged to receive the foodand that between the casingsthe refrigerating agent, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two witnesses.

J OHANN FRANZ HUGO GROXWALD. lVitnesses CHAS. II. DAY, \V. HAUPT. 

